Royce is mentally tough, i'll give him that. So he is special in that way. He's very game.
I trully believe that most of the people who discredit Royce really never competed or played sports.
I've played sports all my life and I can't count the number of times that guys have folded in big situations.
Pressure is a mutherf@cker and you simply cannot understand this unless you have competed in some sport.
Why can a guy make a free throw in the 1st quarter but not in the last seconds when the game is on the line.
Or not hit a last second field goal from 35 yds out when it's no prob in the 1st quarter
Royce was a pimp because he could handle the pressure.
Royce is the man. How many of us keyboard warriors could honestly look ourselves in the mirror and say 'Yup. I would've gotten in the cage with Kimo / Severn / Shamrock / Pardoel etc etc'.
Not bloody many is the answer.
Royce is essentially the catalyst for one of the greatest evolutions in martial arts. Give the man his due.
Even thought he lost to Matt Hughes, what he says still rings true:
'This is my house. I built it.'
I would've loved to have seen a 170lb Severn or Shamrock do what Royce did.
Royce Gracie is a very special person, I respect what he has done..his jiu-jitsu is mediocre by most hardcore bjj enthusist/practitioners standards..